Reign Skate

When Skip Millard took up skateboarding in 1984, his grandmother called it a “fad.”

Fast forward more than three decades and that fad is still going strong, not only for the still-skating Millard, but for his kids and the skateboarding customers who frequent his shop, Reign Skate, to purchase made-to-order skateboards, apparel and sneakers.

“I like building boards for kids, especially when it’s their first board,” he said.

The walls of the 3,500-square-foot store house more than 250 skateboards on any given day, allowing skateboarders to pick out a board and accompanying wheels and trucks best suited for their size and skill. The shop sells the most popular brands, including Quasi, Palace, Plan B, Real, Anti Hero and Santa Cruz, as well as its own Reign boards. The store also sponsors professional skaters, including Tom Asta and Chris Cole.

Cole, who grew up locally, owns Reign Skate along with Millard, of Falls Township, and brothers Justin and Ian Berry, both Pennsbury High School graduates. For the last three and a half years, the store has been situated in the Fairless Hills Shopping Center. Before that, it had been in a strip near Oxford Valley Mall.

The partners’ combined decades of experience working – and skateboarding – set them apart from chain stores selling similar products.

“We’re the ones that get the skate parks built in the communities,” Millard said, noting that he and his partners helped design skate parks at Falls Township Community Park, as well as in Newtown and Middletown townships. “It gives you a good insight into working with government. It’s fun when you see something that you started, when it’s finished and opens.”

In addition to supporting skateboarding locally and selling skateboards, equipment and gear, Millard said the store regularly hosts in-store events featuring professional skateboarders. The events allow kids to meet the skateboarders they see in videos and magazines and interact with them, which can have a positive and long lasting impression. They can encourage kids who might not have otherwise tried skateboarding to give this one-time “fad” a chance.

To learn more

Reign Skate is located at 405 S. Oxford Valley Road in Fairless Hills. The store is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The store also sells its merchandise online. For more information visit http://www.reignskate.com/ or call 215-547-4942.